World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide

©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 72 of 96 The Methodist church grew out of Anglican minister John Wesley’s evangelical and revival movement in the Anglican Church. Several Pentecostal and non-denominational churches emphasize the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit, and, in turn, grew out of the Methodist Church. Methodists, Pentecostals, and other evangelicals stress “accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior”, which comes from John Wesley’s emphasis on the New Birth. Thus, they refer to themselves as “born-again”. Protestants are the second largest group of Christians after Catholics, yet the numbers are uncertain. It is believed there is approximately 800-900 million Protestants worldwide. Further, there are approximately 1.1 billion Catholics, with a total of approximately 2.1 billion Christian followers. Others Esoteric Christianity is the ensemble of spiritual currents that regards Christianity as a mystery religion that possesses certain esoteric doctrines or practices. These are hidden from the public and only accessible by the “enlightened”, “initiated”, or even highly educated people. A common characteristic in the mystical denomination is the belief in reincarnation. Some of the institutions are the Rosicrucian Fellowship, the Anthroposophical Society, and Martinism. In the early 1800s, during the Second Great Awakening, there was a period of religious revival in the United States. These individuals believed they were restoring the original church of Jesus Christ rather than reforming an existing church. Restorationists introduced doctrinal defects into Christianity, also known as “The Great Apostasy”. In the Midwest and upstate New York, mid-century (19 th ) camp meetings were held. American Millennialism and Adventism, which arose from Evangelical Protestantism, influenced the Jehovah’s